1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to methods and systems for collecting and recording data and communication functionality in databases and more particularly to methods and systems for collecting and recording navigation and transaction data regarding customer use of interactive television.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Satellites have had a significant impact on the television industry. With an orbital location so far from earth, satellites transmit a usable signal over a broad footprint. The large geographical coverage of satellite makes it possible to serve thousands, if not millions, with a single satellite. People use individual satellite dishes for direct to viewer (“DTV”) television systems. Recently, interactive television has become available. With interactive television, a viewer can make transactions or navigate information systems through applications made available through the DTV system.
The basic components of a satellite system are one or more transmitting earth stations, the uplink, the satellite, the downlink, and one or more receiving earth stations. The communications satellite is a radio relay operating in space for ten or more years without the need for on-site servicing or adjustment. Satellites contain transceivers that receive and transmit signals, including video programming, telephone calls and data. They operate in a vacuum at a location exposed to extreme temperature changes.
Presently, there is no system or method for obtaining navigation and transaction data regarding customer interactive television actions in an Information Data Repository (“IDR”). Only providers of content, such as banks providing transactions, can obtain such data, while the data is generally unavailable to the information broadcaster and others. Present smart card systems can only log and transmit very limited viewer preference information due to the limited available memory and an inability to access the user input data. The use of flash memory allows for the download of data logs through callbacks from the integrated receiver/decoders (“IRDs”) used in satellite television systems. Furthermore, a system for extraction of this data would be preferably scalable to accommodate future growth. Such a system and method would enable convenient transactions and precise recording of user patterns. There is also a need for a system and method for the collection, administration and management of the information that is provided and processed by the various interactive television applications to and from geographically dispersed operating companies.
It is, therefore, to the effective resolution of the aforementioned problems and shortcomings of the prior art that the present invention is directed.